With You, 2018,Volume 2

News and Events
Families in Marawi receive aid
©UNHCR/ M. San Diego
This year, UNHCR Philippines brings the commemoration of World
Refugee Day closer to families forced to flee from the fighting in Marawi
City more than a year ago.
On June 20, UNHCR provided core relief items such as blankets and
plastic sheets to some 300 families hosted at the Sarimanok site in
Poblacion, Marawi City. Global partner UNIQLO also distributed clothes
as part of its commitment to work with UNHCR in responding to the
needs of displaced people throughout the world.
“It’s a very critical time for all of us. All over the world there are millions
upon millions of refugees and IDPs (internally displaced persons) who
were forced to flee due to conflict, persecution, and violence,” said
UNHCR Philippines High Profile Supporter Atom Araullo, who joined the
distribution. At the height of the conflict, more than 360,000 families
were forced to flee from Marawi City.
A year since then, displaced families face significant challenges such as
a lack of access to basic services and insufficient livelihood
opportunities. The core relief item distribution intends to provide
assistance to these families while they are still living in temporary
shelters.
“They are just like you and me: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. They
never imagined this kind of situation is something they would face,” said
Atom.
UNHCR continues to monitor their situation on the ground and support
the Government-led response in addressing humanitarian gaps. In
Marawi City, UNHCR has partnered with PhilHealth to assist displaced
individuals in obtaining identification documents to address the
restriction on their mobility. UNHCR has also rolled out a profiling
project targeted to assist government programming in the recovery and
rehabilitation of the city.
A new light on displacement
“When it comes to building compassion and solidarity for forcibly displaced
families here in the Philippines, we need not look far as forced
displacement hits very close to home,” said Michel Huyghe, UNHCR’s Head
of Field Office in Mindanao.
Liwanag ng Marawi (Light of Marawi) aimed to build solidarity and
compassion for families forced to flee because of the fighting that broke
out last year. On June 19, the eve of World Refugee Day, UNHCR
Philippines launched the exhibit featuring the photos of displacement
through the eyes of the those affected by the conflict.
“This exhibit reminds us that behind the numbers are real people whose
lives have been uprooted by armed conflict. Families that have been torn
apart at the height of the violence. Communities whose homes have been
reduced to rubble. Parents who have lost their jobs and other sources
of income. Boys and girls who have lost access to education,” described
Huyghe.
©UNHCR/ M. San Diego
World Refugee Day offers a renewed opportunity to bring light to the needs
of some 40,000 families who remain displaced and in need of durable
solutions more than a year since conflict first broke out in Marawi City.
Leaders of the IDP communities, partners, and humanitarian actors joined
UNHCR in marking the week-long commemoration of World Refugee Day.
The exhibit was in Robinsons Place lligan from 19 to 22 June 2018.
With You | Vol. 2, 2018
3